Tattered Pages

If You Can Promise

Sarah snuggled down warm in the blanket, chills subsided, her body no longer shaking violently. She had a slight smile on her face from the comfy. The comfy that comes when you're in that perfect position and everything is warm and certain noises give you chill bumps just because the noises are comforting too. Like her older sister's hairdryer running in the morning as she was getting ready for school when Sarah was little. Or when her mama used to vacuum on Saturday mornings and the muffled hum behind her closed bedroom door was a blissful sleep-inducing white noise. She had not opened her eyes yet, but she also noted how nice the weight of the blanket was. Like being a warm fuzzy burrito...soo nice sighh. A distant voice echoed from far away "Arthur!" She lay there not wanting to move. Maybe it would go away stupid loud dream. A moment past, "Arthur Morgan!!" the voice was closer now. "God damn it Arthur where the hell are you!?" The voice came through the flap of the teepee and the man that came with it stopped short at the door to stare. Sarah's eyes snapped open to stare at the man that seemed to be open mouthed and staring back at her. A second of shock zipped by and her eye looked down to what surely looked like a man's arm tucked right under her chin and holding her in a snug grasp. Her eyes then darted to the side trying to now follow said arm to the soft breathing she most definitely felt on the back of her neck then glanced again at the man at the door, now afraid to move at all. "Elle!??" The new stranger took a slow step into the door, his mouth slightly open with shock. She involuntarily snuggled backwards causing the unknown arm to squeeze gently and a snoring sigh to escape against the back of her neck, her eyes growing in an even wider wtf stance. There was another brief moment of processing on the stranger's face then his eyebrows furrowed and his hand clinched into a fist. "Arthur Morgan! Have you lost your damn mind!" His bellow forced her to tense and clinch her eyes shut. Simultaneously the arm around her jerked into the air and the man he called Arthur pivoted back in a start and fell from the cot with a loud thunk behind her. She snatched at the wool blanket sitting up and drawing it and her legs close to her in a sitting position while hiding all but her eyes to peek over the edge.

"Ow! Damn it John! What are ya yellin for!" Arthur sat in the floor, sprawled in only his skivvies, rubbing the back of his neck. His head lowered, eyes wincing from the pain of the fall. The stranger took another step inside," I thought we talked about this." "Now don't start John..," he shook his head and turned slightly pleading eyes up to the younger man. "Don't you don't start me! That right there is wrong and you know it!:" He shoved a pointed finger at Sarah as she flinched at his voice and stared down at Morgan, eyes burning with resentment. Sarah scrooched a little closer to the back of the cot gathering the blanket even tighter around her as she sank even lower under its edge.

The older man labored for just a moment to stand then took on a fresh new wave of aggravation grabbing his hat off a peg that hung on the side of the central post of the teepee. He swiped it up on his head and started getting dressed, hopping into his battered jeans and roughly sliding his arms in the unbuttoned blue shirt. "Now you wait just a God damn minute John. I didn't see you screechin a complaint when I tried it the first time." He barked the comment and reached down to button his shirt as he shoved his feet into old leather cowboy boots. His brown coat being dawned in much the same violent way.

"Step outside you moron, you're scaring the girl to death." he stalked around the cot and shoved John outside the tent flaps and turned to the bundled Sarah sitting on the cot. He softened and came over to kneel down by the side of her as she hunched even lower in fear. Gently, he laid a big hand on her shoulder rubbing softly and pulled her protective blanket away from the top of her head so he could see her eyes more clearly. Arthur ducked and tilted his head slightly to catch her line of sight as he continued to stroke her shoulder lightly. "Hey there," he whispered seeing her eyes up close for the first time. They shone in the firelight, a glassy reflection of fear and it bothered him that they'd scared her. "It's ok sweetheart, no one's gonna hurtcha. That man, well he's just being loud and stupid is all. He don't mean no harm." He crooked one finger in the center of her blanket shield and lowered it just a little more to see her face. "You stay right here sugar and I'll be right back. Me n him just gotta little talkin to do is all and it's gonna be just fine ok." A single tear of fear escaped her eye and she swiped at it with the blanket corner. "Aww hush now Elle," he put both hands on her shoulders now as he whispered. His eyes grew fierce even though his voice stayed low, and his features remained kind. "I ain't never letting anyone hurt ya again you hear me?" He tilted his head lower again to gaze into her eyes for understanding. "Ya hear me honey?" He needed to know she understood his words. She nodded slowly, just a subtle relaxing of her features easing his disposition. "Now hang tight, I'll be right back," he said as he leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead before standing to walk out behind John.